


Happy Birthday, Asshole

by MsBrooklyn



Series: Assembly Line (or Why It's a Lot Harder than Steve Thought to Recruit New Members) [16]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Jessica Jones (TV), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-10
Updated: 2017-03-10
Packaged: 2018-10-02 04:16:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10209434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsBrooklyn/pseuds/MsBrooklyn
Summary: Bucky reflects on the occasion of his hundredth birthday with Jessica Jones.  It goes about how you'd expect.





	

"Happy Birthday, asshole."

Barnes settles on the shaky scaffolding beside Jones, following her line of sight and quickly identifying which window of the apartment building opposite them is her target. "Gee, thanks Jones. You better watch it with the sappy sentiments or people are gonna say we're in love."

"What'd you expect?" She tears her eyes off the building to glare at him. "It's two in the morning and I'm working. What HYDRA crisis is it this time, Barnes?"

"No crisis," he admits and now he's starting to feel like the asshole Jones is accusing him of being. "I just... I couldn't sleep."

"Let me guess. Stevie was busy."

"No, but --"

"And you didn't want to wake up Petey or Aunt May."

"No," Barnes says indignantly.

"So you decided I had nothing better to do than listen to whatever --"

"I'm a hundred goddamned years old, Jones."

That stops her tirade in its tracks as the enormity of the number hits her. "Shit."

Barnes nods. "Exactly."

"I hope they don't get you an ice cream cake," Jones says, turning back to her surveillance. "All those candles'll melt the fucking thing before they finish the first chorus of 'happy birthday'."

"Aha! I knew it!" Barnes exclaims triumphantly. "They planned a surprise party."

Jones glances his way long enough to roll her eyes. "Are you fucking crazy, Barnes? Who'd be stupid enough to lure you into a darkened building and then have everyone shout at you? Petey is going to tell you over breakfast. I'm sure they have all kinds of shit planned to celebrate your special day all day long. But starting at a _decent_ hour. Not at two in the morning when I'm trying to earn a living."

Barnes smirks at her. "You know a lot about those plans, Jones. Are you coming to my party?" He leans in close and whispers in her ear. "Did you get me a present?"

"Yeah, I got you an industrial-sized bottle of Geritol," she snaps, pulling away from him.

It takes everything he has to school his face into an innocent expression and ask, "What's Geritol?"

Jones blows out an exasperated breath. "Barnes, I'm busy and no, you can't help. Go home and get some sleep. I'll see you at your party."

"So you _are_ coming!"

"Like I had a fucking choice. Try telling Stevie and Aunt May no."

"Easier to take on HYDRA."

Jones rolls her eyes again. "So? Are you better now, Barnes? No more birthday jitters?"

Barnes takes a moment before he answers. "I try not to think about how strange my life is but damn, Jones. I'm a hundred years old today. The things I've been through, the things I've done --"

"The people, Barnes. They're what really matters." Jones' voice is soft as she turns to him. "You still have Stevie. Think about that. And look at all the people in your life now. Everywhere you go, you end up adopting more kids and making new friends."

"Yeah," Barnes agrees because, well, it's true. His adopted family seems like it gets bigger every day, as does his circle of friends.

"And all of those people are celebrating _you_ today," she goes on. "So go home and get some rest because you're going to have a _very_ full day."

"Thanks Jones."

"Happy Birthday, asshole."

They look at each other for a long moment and then Barnes raises an eyebrow expectantly. "No birthday kiss?"

"Oh, for Christ's sake, Barnes, I'm working!"

"Later?"

She flips him off. It's better than a kiss.

Barnes grins as he leaps down to the sidewalk. His birthday is off to a swell start.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
